Frequently Asked Questions about the Fall 2021 Semester

Fall 2021 will be a unique semester for Intro Psych, with our course being held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Here are some questions you might have, followed by our best answers at this time. Please feel free to write to Prof. Firestone with any other Qs.

1. Will lectures be synchronous or asynchronous?

   Our lectures will be asynchronous. That means that Prof. Firestone will post videos on our course website, and you will be able to watch them at whatever time of day works best for you. This also means that there is no Zoom link for you to click on to watch our lectures; all the content is here on this website (sometimes with links to Blackboard).

2. So could I take other classes that meet on T/TH at 1:30pm-2:45pm?

   Though our lectures will be asynchronous, we'll still hold office hours, review sessions, and a few other (optional) events during the T/TH 1:30pm-2:45pm slot, since it's likely that much of the class will be free at that time. We'll also hold these events at some other times (including times that are friendlier to international timezones), but T/TH 1:30pm-2:45pm will be a guaranteed office hour time, and so you should take that into account when planning your schedule. Ultimately, it's up to you, but we do think it will be doable to take another class that meets T/TH 1:30pm-2:45pm.

3. How will there still be a course playlist if we are meeting online?? That's like the main reason I am taking this class.

   Oh, you'll see.

4. I am on the waitlist. Will I be able to take this class? And why is there even a waitlist at all for an asynchronous class?

   Unfortunately we don't know any better than you do whether you'll get off the waitlist! But there is often lots of movement in the first couple of weeks, with dozens of people adding and dropping. The reason we still have to cap the class, though, is that there are only so many of us (instructors, including TAs) to meet with you, grade assignments and so on. If we took more than the capped number of students, we would not be able to provide the full Intro Psych experience you deserve!

5. I am not receiving the course emails. What's going on?

   There are two usual culprits: (1) The emails are going to your spam folder (please check!). (2) The emails are going to the address that you have associated with SIS, and whatever email address that may be isn't the one you were expecting. Though most students have their JHU email address as their SIS address, it's my sense that about 5% of students have a personal account listed there (e.g., a gmail address). That might be the reason!
   
   Note that there is a continually updated archive of coursewide e-mails located here, so that you can always know whether you missed something important or even revisit any emails you lost.

6. I have extenuating circumstances (pandemic-related or otherwise) that will make it difficult to complete my work this semester. What should I do?

   We are committed to making this semester as fulfilling, edifying, and accessible as possible — for everyone. We recognize that different students are coming to Intro Psych from different home environments, in different timezones, with different Internet connectivity, and so on. If you feel there is something about your situation that will prevent you from thriving in our course, please let us know and we will do whatever we can to accommodate you!

7. I have another question that wasn't answered here.

   No problem! Email your question to Prof. Firestone, and we'll make sure to add it here.